Nighttime detours of northbound Guide Meridian near Lynden for bridge repair work this week

LYNDEN – Work to repair the dented steel truss of Guide Meridian Road (State Route 539) across the Nooksack River will begin this week.

Contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will replace the damaged overhead portion of the bridge carrying the northbound lanes of the highway.

To create a safe work zone, WSDOT’s contractor, Razz Construction Inc., will need five nighttime detours of northbound traffic.

Detour details

A signed detour will route northbound Guide Meridian traffic via SR 544/Pole Road to Hannegan Road into Lynden and back to SR 539 from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. during the following nights:

Wednesday, Jan. 24 to the morning of Thursday, Jan. 25

Thursday, Jan. 25 to the morning of Friday, Jan. 26

Sunday, Jan. 28 to the morning of Monday, Jan. 29

Thursday, Feb. 1 to the morning of Friday, Feb. 2

Sunday, Feb. 4 to the morning of Monday, Feb. 5

Daytime delays

Until early February, a single northbound lane across the bridge will close each week from 7 p.m. Sunday until 3 p.m. Friday. Travelers should expect minor delays during those hours. The lane will reopen each day between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. for the evening commute. Some of the work is weather dependent, and the completion date could be delayed if crews need to reschedule work due to rain or high winds.

The bridge was hit by a truck carrying an overheight load in September 2016. Repair estimates are $470,000. WSDOT is working to recover those costs from the responsible company.